India, May 9 -- Tamil Nadu governor Rajendra Arlekar juggles a Shakesperean question every time actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay approaches him seeking to form the government. The two have met thrice in three days, with Vijay each time failing to conclusively demonstrate majority support.

Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) emerged as the single-largest party with 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly, but the effective tally dropped after Vijay won from two constituencies and is required to vacate one seat. With the halfway mark at 118, the TVK has been scrambling for the additional 11 seats from smaller parties and former allies of the DMK-led alliance.

Early reports suggested the TVK had crossed the halfway mark after securin...